6 British Soldiers Die in 2 Iraq Attacks - 2003-06-24

Attacks continue against American and British forces in Iraq. In the latest incidents, six British troops are reported dead, at least four Iraqis killed and two U.S. soldiers wounded. Officials and witnesses report one pre-dawn incident around the town of Ramadi, west of Baghdad, in which unknown assailants attacked a U.S. foot patrol.

Later, in the town of Fallujah, unidentified attackers fired rocket-propelled grenades at U.S. troops guarding a power station.

The British Defense Ministry said some of its troops came under fire in a village near the southern city of Basra, resulting in several casualties.

U.S. military officials blame the incidents on small groups of armed men who remain loyal to the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein.

Iraqi activists say the fact that Saddam Hussein has not been proved dead or been captured, is an incentive for his loyalists to continue their attacks.

American military officials in Baghdad are not commenting on an operation last week, in which U.S. special forces targeted a convoy suspected of carrying senior members of the ousted regime. The operation occurred along the border with neighboring Syria. Several Syrians were injured in a firefight involving U.S. troops.

U.S. defense officials say investigators have not yet determined the identities of those killed in the attack on the convoy. They say they will conduct DNA tests if necessary to try to identify the victims. But they say there is no indication that Saddam Hussein or either of his two sons are among the dead.